Martha Wash faces reality of aging in the music business

Another Independence Day event was the third annual, Philly 4th of July Jam, a staple of the Wawa Welcome America! festival. Performers included The Roots, John Mayer, Jill Scott, Ne-Yo, J. Cole and more with comedian Kevin Hart serving as the host. If you weren’t one of the 500,000 in attendance then click here for footage.

One Philly resident that you couldn’t miss in a crowd even that large is Cheryl Ann Wadlington, author of The DivaGirl’s Guide to Style and Self-Respect. For the noted fashion and beauty expert the book was necessary due to what she believes is a crisis of resources to help guide and mentor today’s young women.

“A lot of attention is being placed on the empowerment of women and girls in developing countries which is essential. However, I don’t hear the alarm ringing loud enough about addressing the issue women and girls face here in America,” she says. “I don’t want them, especially women and girls from socio-economically-challenged backgrounds, to be forgotten about. There is a lack of effective programs that teach girls about good character and citizenship. Bullying and technology issues are creating problems that kids 20 years ago never imagined.”

The book offers tips for young women on everything from style to self-esteem. And when she’s not empowering youth through books, Wadlington is working hands-on with them as executive director of the non-profit organization, The Evoluer House. Recently the school celebrated graduating more than seven hundred disadvantaged girls from its personal development program.

Wash and Wadlington prove that some people certainly do get better, wiser and more giving with age.

The Harlem Arts Alliance is a not for profit arts service organization celebrating 10 years of service to a prestigious list of members such as the Apollo Theater, the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, Columbia University, Harlem Stage (Aaron Davis Hall) and over 850 more cultural/arts institutions and individuals. The weekly column, Harlem Arts Alliance Presents: On the “A” w/Souleo, covers the intersection of the arts, culture and entertainment scene in Harlem and beyond and is written by Souleo, founder and president of event/media content production company, Souleo Enterprises, LLC.